PAULSBORO — The borough’s ground water has tested positive for vinyl chloride since the toxic train wreck that evacuated half the town last November but in low, declining levels.

According to Conrail — owner of the track and the train — three ground-water testing wells have been installed in proximity to the site of the accident where seven tanker cars derailed on the Jefferson Street railway bridge, sending four of the cars into Mantua Creek below.

When the incident occurred around 7 a.m. on Nov. 30, one of the tanker cars carrying vinyl chloride was breached, spilling approximately 120,000 pounds — or 25,000 gallons — of the toxic, colorless gas used in making PVC plastics into the air and water.

Results of the testing are being submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

“Since February 2013, several test wells have registered very low and generally declining levels of vinyl chloride in groundwater,” said Conrail spokesman Mike Hotra. “Regular testing of the public water supply system has confirmed that the drinking water in the area has not been affected by the derailment.”

Paulsboro’s drinking water is stored in towers within the borough. Eating fish from Mantua Creek, a tidal tributary of the Delaware River, was prohibited by law before the derailment occurred.

For residents of the area, however, who were evacuated from their homes and lived in motels around South Jersey for nearly three weeks after the derailment occurred, the presence of any vinyl chloride in the area is something to worry about.

CONNECT WITH US!

Gary Stevenson — a borough councilman and Paulsboro’s assistant fire chief — was the first person to call 9-1-1 and the first on the scene that morning. The Jefferson Street Bridge is about 50 feet from his backdoor, and he witnessed the entire event unfold.

For weeks, he and his wife Rae Lynn were out of their home and when they returned found cracks in the foundation due to the crash. Added to that now is a hole drilled through their basement floor to test for lingering vinyl chloride.

“We’re waiting for the results and depending on the concentration under our house or if it will permeate, there might be some type of evacuation system that has to be put in my house,” Stevenson said. “The only place we don’t have a crack or a hole from this train wreck is the roof.”

According to Conrail, they are working with the DEP and testing will continue until it is no longer necessary.

“Conrail will continue its monitoring and will provide regular updates regarding our findings to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,” Hotra said.”